Vajpayee, Musharraf to meet

The Sunday Times ^ | January 04 2004

[knighthawk]

INDIA'S Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee and Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf will meet tomorrow on the sidelines of a regional summit, a Pakistani official announced.

"The meeting will take place sometime tomorrow," foreign ministry spokesman Masood Khan told a press briefing late today, after Vajpayee issued a request to meet the Pakistani President.

Vajpayee earlier held ice-breaking talks with Pakistani Prime Minister Zafarullah Jamali after the opening of the 12th summit of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC).

Vajpayee and Musharraf have not spoken formally since July 2001 when they attended a bilateral summit in the Indian city of Agra.

They shook hands two years ago at the last SAARC summit in Kathmandu.

[knighthawk]

Ping

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[AM2000]

Watch for Pakistan-initiated hostilities to break out again. Musharraf has a habit of backstabbing Vajpayee every time he tries to make a gesture of goodwill. Remember Kargil? I'll betcha plans to take Indian Kashmir are being worked on as we speak.

[keri]

My thought, too. We agree. I think the attacks in Kashmir have been stepped up just for the reason you posted: Plans.

Surely Vajpayee has also planned (this time) for the possibility of another double-cross?

[Dog Gone]

Kargil took place in a very different time. Right now, India is hoping that Musharraf doesn't get assassinated. Everybody in the world needs him to be in place, and he has very little leverage to do anything except crack down on the terrorists trying to kill him for his actions. He even dropped his demand for a referendum on Kashmir.

That doesn't mean that India shouldn't be cautious. The backstabbing has occurred in the past. But now is not the time for Musharraf to be worrying about India.

[AM2000]

But now is not the time for Musharraf to be worrying about India.

Bingo, you hit the nail on the head, perhaps without even realizing it. Now is not the time because Mush has got bigger things to worry about. However, Vajpayee shouldn't be fooled into thinking that Mush isn't going to eventually come back. I'd be very surprised if a strategy to eventually do so wasn't being devised as we speak. Hell, if Vajpayee knows whats good for him and his country, he'll take advantage of this opportunity to do some backstabbing of his own, while Mush is distracted.

[AM2000]

There have been no reports of increased presence of Indian military in Kashmir. I'd bet he's being his usual naive self, too wrapped up in his poetry to see Mush for what he really is.

[Cronos]

If Mush does get bumped off, India (and the US) would have to invade to prevent those nukes from getting into slamonazi hands.

[swarthyguy]

Hope the securty people are keeping a close watch.

What a target for jihadis.